Poll Credibility Analysis
Historical accuracy assessment of all four polling agencies for TN 2026 — based on verified past election predictions vs actual results.
Based on verified historical election predictions vs actual results
Matrize (46%) + News18 (33%) + Lokpoll (21%) — Agni excluded
Largest sample sizes among the four agencies (167,843 in 2024 LS). Directionally reliable but prone to overestimating the stronger coalition — missed NDA seat count by 84 in 2024 Lok Sabha. Bihar 2025 was a positive outlier. No standalone TN-specific historical data available under the IANS-Matrize brand.
| Election | Predicted | Actual | Error | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Lok Sabha | NDA 377, INDIA 93 | NDA 293, INDIA 234 | 84 seats | Direction correct, magnitude badly wrong |
| 2025 Bihar Assembly | NDA big win | NDA 202/243 (sweep) | 15 seats | Correct — one of few agencies to get Bihar right |
| 2021 Tamil Nadu (Republic-CNX) | DMK alliance ~160-179 | DMK alliance 159 | 10 seats | Direction correct, close to actual |
Each agency is scored across five dimensions: sample size strength, direction accuracy (did they predict the right winner), magnitude accuracy (how close were the seat counts), Tamil Nadu-specific historical data, and methodology transparency. Weights in the credibility-adjusted projection are proportional to these scores. Agni News Service is excluded entirely due to the absence of any verifiable pre-2026 election prediction data — including an unverified agency would introduce noise rather than signal into the weighted average.
Data sources: Wikipedia (2024 Lok Sabha opinion polling); OneIndia (TN 2021 polls vs actuals, March 2026); @Selvakumar_IN on X (Lokpoll Maharashtra/Bihar misses); Financial Express (exit poll strike rates, 2024).